The Revelation in the Ruse
by GalaxieGurl
Summary: Russ and Brennan discuss the Christmas Past of their childhood.


The Revelation in the Ruse

Having poked the glowing logs smoldering in their large stone fireplace, Booth returned to his seat beside Brennan on their couch. Russ and Amy were curled up on an adjacent loveseat and Max was ensconced in the old yellow recliner Pops had favored during his visits to their weekend home in Huntsville, WV. This year the extended family had gathered in Huntsville to celebrate Christmas. After a satisfying dinner, the detritus of wrapping paper, ribbons and bows had been cleared away, dishes were done, and the children had gone to their rooms to enjoy new gifts.

Since the bridge into town was rebuilt through Brennan's quiet generosity, the little community had revived itself into relative prosperity, becoming known for quaint bed and breakfast inns, picturesque scenery, and its well-attended farmers' market and handcrafts festivals. Generous advances and plentiful royalty checks from Brennan's novels had plumped their joint bank account nicely, and the couple had felt comfortable building a cottage in Huntsville.

Having established an educational foundation to assist Andy Taylor and other local students with college expenses, Booth and Brennan visited quarterly to oversee the scholarship selection process. Max came along to volunteer at the high school, and Parker had taught guitar lessons during school vacations when he spent summers with them.

Russ turned to his sister with a question. "Tempe, what do you remember about Christmases in Ohio when we were young?

Brennan considered her answer in silence. While she had despised Christmas for years after her parents disappeared, ignored Russ's occasional phone calls, and scoffed at sentimental memories, she vividly recalled the happy holiday observances her family had shared before McVicar's sudden threatening reappearance had shattered her childhood. "I remember you herding me to the bathroom like a line-backer in the middle of the night," she grinned at him. "At first I couldn't figure out why you were blocking my view of the living room all the way there and back to bed. After a few years, I realized you were hiding the unwrapped gifts to prevent my prematurely discovering what Mom and Dad had put out for us under the tree.

"Tempe, shush! It's a good thing all the kids are in bed! Mom and Dad didn't do that; it was Santa Claus!" Russ chided his sister.

Brennan rolled her eyes at her brother. "I found out about Santa's true identity when I was five; I only pretended to believe after that because Dad said you still bought into that mythology," she declared.

"Dad! What the heck? I'm four years older than Tempe, I was pretending for her sake."

Max looked at his indignant son and pragmatic daughter with a smile that was both wistful and slightly guilty. "I told you guys that for your mom's sake," he confessed. "Ruthie, I mean Christine, loved everything about Christmas and always hated it that we couldn't take you home to visit her family. She regretted our having to hide and would become rather blue about missing her sisters during the holidays, so I prolonged the Santa business to cheer her up. She delighted in seeing your faces on Christmas morning when you found all your loot, as she called it. Sorry I misled you two a little, but it was one of the few ways I could make up for us having to leave her relatives in the dark all those years. She was really close to her sisters, and missed showing you off to them as you grew. Our misdeeds back then messed up all sorts of things, but we had to keep you two safe. We had pretty great holidays, just the four of us, but the large noisy family gatherings were something else, wildly hectic happy chaos and loads of fun. But we just couldn't risk going back home, and she really yearned for all that."

Amy spoke up which was unusual, as she was normally a bit reticent. "Max, you couldn't undo the past or change the circumstances you were facing. I think it's sweet that you tried to increase Christine's happiness at Christmastime as best you could. We haven't specifically told Haley or Emma that Santa Claus is pretend, but I suspect they know it. When I was eight, one of my classmates blabbed to me that Santa was really my parents, and I was quite disappointed. That evening my mom and dad told me that Santa Claus was one name for St. Nicholas, a kindly bishop who lived in Turkey centuries ago and helped poor people with dowries for their daughters. They said because his generosity embodied the Christmas message of good will, his name came to represent the Christmas spirit, and thus, in a sense, he still exists today. It was a more mature version of my childhood fantasy, but I've always liked the philosophy it conveyed. So Russ and I agreed to handle the 'revelation of Santa' the same way whenever Haley or Emma come to us with questions about Jolly Ole St. Nick."

"That's a nice way to explain it, Amy," Max told her gratefully. That's kinda what I had in mind for Ruthie. I appreciate your telling me that. Your folks were pretty smart."

Booth leaned forward to smile at his sister-in law. "That's almost the same story Mom and Dad told me the year I was seven. They asked me to keep mum so I didn't spoil things for Jared. Dad was doing pretty well at the barber shop that season, and we had a really good Christmas that year," he remembered quietly. "I think that'd be a good explanation for Christine when the time comes. Rebecca explained it to Parker, and he never really questioned her statements. I guess he loved presents too much," he finished, then turned and looked at his wife with a mischievous grin. Squeezing his hand, Brennan kissed his cheek. "I can live with that slight misrepresentation of the truth, I suppose," she replied. "While I don't espouse religion, I'm aware that Nicholas being the fourth century Bishop of Myra is documented in church history. His surviving for 1700 years and residing at the North Pole with volant reindeer? Now that's completely fallacious!"

"Volant?" Booth repeated. "It means 'capable of flight', Brennan informed him primly, but her eyes were twinkling.

"Oh, Tempe," sighed Max. "You haven't changed a bit!"


End file.
